Moja lekcja

clear up

The clouds are clearing up.

sail = to move forwards gracefully and confidently

She sailed into the room.

lay bare = make sth obvious that wasn't known before

Her story lays bare the conflicts between the two brothers.

star-crossed = having bad luck, ill-fated

They were star-crossed lovers.

thread = put sth through a hole in sth

Thread the meat on to large skewers and grill over a gentle heat.

drop off =take sb/sth to a particular place

We dropped our luggage off at the hotel and went sightseeing.

fly in the face of sth = to completely oppose what seems normal or sensible

This is an argument that seems to fly in the face of common sense.

weed out = get rid of unwanted people/things

The first round of interviews serves to weed out the weakest of applicants.

take over = sart doing a job that another person had before

He took over from the previous headmaster/She took over as manager two weeks ago.

turn sth over = use or allow to be used for a different purpose

Grants are being offered to farmers who agree to turn over their land to woodland and forests.

turn sth over to sb = give sth to someone in authority

They turned the videos over to the police/All documents are to be turned over to the court.

hoot = make a short loud high sound

She hooted her horn at the dog in the road.

mount = organise

They mounted an attack/campaign/protest.

mount guard = guard sb

Security officers are employed to mount guard over the president.

raise your game = make an effort to improve sth

They are going to raise their game if they want to stay in the Premiership this season.

sleep in = sleep until later in the morning

I usually sleep in at the weekends.

catch/get some z's = to sleep

All I want to do is catch some z's.

up and about = well enough to get out of bed after an illness

He is up and about again, but he won't be able to drive for a few weeks.

menace = sth that is likely to cause harm

Drunk drivers are a menace to everyone/Dogs running loose are a public menace.

menace = dangerous quality that makes you think someone is going to do sth bad

He had a slight air of menace which I found unsettling/He spoke with a hint of menace.

with menaces = using threats

He was accused of unlawfully demanding money with menaces.

embrace = accept

This was an opportunity he would embrace.

quaver = shake

Her voice began to quaver and I thought she was going to cry.

dispense with sth = get rid of/stop using sth

They had to dispense with a lot of luxuries after he lost his job.

raid = attack

They raided the enemy camp and captured over 100 camels.

raid = enter a place illegally to steal from it.

The post office was raided last night.

raid = take sth from a place, usually secretly

I caught Tim raiding the fridge.

make/stage/carry out a raid = attack

They made a raid on their enemy.

raid - the act of entering a place by force in order to seal from it.

Millions of dollars were stolen in a bank raid last night.

vile = unpleasant

This cheese smells vile/He's in a vile mood/temper today.

vile = unpleasant, immoral, and unacceptable

This vile policy of ethnic cleansing must be stopped.

step up/down for sb = too good/too bad for sb

He is a "step up" for her/He is a "step-down" for her.

run the gamut of = to experience or show the whole range of something

Jonson has run the gamut of hotel work, from porter to owner of a large chain of hotels.

sink = to cause something to fail or be in trouble

This rain could sink our plans for the garden party.

may well = If you say that something may well happen, you mean that it is likely to happen

She may well not want to travel alone.

work on the checkout

He works on the checkout at the local supermarket.

stay in the way = stop or prevent

You know I won't stand in your way if you want to apply for a job abroad.

harbour = to think about or feel something

He's been harbouring a grudge against her ever since his promotion was refused/She harbours a deep resentment against/towards him.

bring shame on sb

In some societies, if a woman leaves her husband, it brings shame on her and her family.

put sb to shame

It puts me to shame that I still haven't replied to David's letter.

be a disgrace to sb/sth

You're a disgrace (to the family) - what a way to behave!

flak = criticism

She took/caught some flak from her parents about her new dress.

patently = in a way that is clear

She was patently lying/It is patently obvious that he doesn't care.

scavenge = to look for or get food or other objects in other people's rubbish

The flood has left villagers and animals desperately scavenging for food.

rub off

His enthusiasm is starting to rub off on the rest of us/Her style has started to rub off her friends.

arouse = to cause someone to have a particular feeling

It's a subject that has aroused a lot of interest/Our suspicions were aroused when we heard a muffled scream.

get wind of = to hear a piece of information that someone else was trying to keep secret

I don't want my colleagues to get wind of the fact that I'm leaving.

antsy = very nervous, worried, or unpleasantly excited

I always get antsy about meeting my husband's boss.

unwittingly = without knowing or planning

He unwittingly broke the law.

I'm a bit short = I haven't got much money at the moment

Can you lend me a couple of dollars? I'm a bit short.

short = not enough

It's going to be difficult - time is short/Money was short in those days.

be short on something to have less of something than you should have

The President's speech was long on colorful phrases but short on solutions.

have a short temper/fuse to get angry very easily

Mr Yanto, who had a very short fuse, told her to get out

come to grief = end badly

His career as a lawyer came to grief after he became involved with gamblers.

resolve = make a decision

After hours of argument, they resolved against taking legal action/She resolved that she would never speak to him again.

set sth/sb on fire = set fire to sb/sth

A peace campaigner had set herself on fire in protest over the government's involvement in the war/Soldiers had chased the protesters into a warehouse and set fire to it

elude my grasp = It's beyond my depth/I'm out of my depth

It eludes my grasp.

for a time = for a short period

For a time, we all thought that Sheila and Frank would get married.

the times = on many occassions

The times I've told you, ask before you borrow my clothes.

at some other time = at an unspecified future time

I promise that we'll go to Disneyland at some other time.

fold sth into/in sth = mix a substance into another substance by turning it gently with a spoon

Fold the egg whites into the cake mixture/Fold in the flour.

crafts = work or objects made by hand:

The shop sells local crafts.

lay the ghost - stop being worried or upset about sth that has worried you for a long time

With one stunning performance, he has laid to rest the ghost of all his defeats last season.

fraught - full of (unpleasant things such as problems or dangers

Unfortunately, their romance was fraught with problems.